What Is a Double Garage? Standard Sizes in Canada

A double garage is a garage that parks two vehicles. That sounds like the end of the definition, but two layouts qualify: side-by-side, where each car gets its own lane, and tandem, where one parks behind the other. On a listing they can both read "double garage," and they are not the same thing to live with.

The Two Shapes of a Double Garage

The side-by-side double is the Canadian default: one or two overhead doors across a roughly square footprint. The tandem garage is the narrow-lot variant. If a listing says double garage and shows one single-width door, look closer before you assume anything.

Standard Double Garage Sizes

No Canadian building code standardizes garage stall sizes (a few municipal zoning bylaws set their own minimums); the numbers below are industry convention, and they describe outside dimensions. Wall framing eats into them, which is why a "20 by 20" garage gives you closer to 19 feet of usable width inside.

Older Edmonton neighbourhoods are full of detached doubles from an era of smaller vehicles. A 1970s 20 by 20 detached garage and a 2020s crew-cab pickup are a bad match, and it is the buyer's job to notice, because possession day is a bad time to learn your truck does not fit.

What the Edmonton Market Shows

In July 2026, Edmonton's active house listings break down like this: 1,194 mention a double attached garage with a median asking price of $550,000, and 908 mention a double detached garage with a median of $479,000, against a citywide residential median of $537,365. The gap says less about garages than about the homes they come with: double attached garages dominate newer suburbs, while double detached garages dominate older, cheaper-per-lot mature neighbourhoods. Layout choice rides along with home age and location; see attached vs detached for that comparison.

Building or Replacing One in Edmonton

A new double garage in Edmonton needs a development permit and building permit (the city bundles them as a Home Improvement Permit; permit fees start around $270 combined as of 2025). The structure has to respect accessory building rules: 4.3 m maximum height, 0.6 m minimum setback from rear and side lot lines, and 1.2 m of setback for a garage door that faces the lane. Electrical, and any gas line for a future heater, need their own permits under Alberta's Safety Codes Act.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size is a standard double garage in Canada? By builder convention, 20 by 20 feet (6.1 m by 6.1 m) outside is the practical minimum, with 22 by 22 and 24 by 24 common in new builds. No Canadian building code prescribes a required stall size.

Is a tandem garage a double garage? Yes by capacity. It parks two vehicles nose to tail on a single-car width, and the rear car is boxed in. Listings often count it as a double, so check photos and dimensions.

How much room do two cars actually need? Two mid-size vehicles want roughly 18 feet of clear interior width to open doors comfortably. Inside a minimum 20-foot-wide garage you have about 19 feet after framing, which works but leaves no storage along the walls.

Do I need a permit to build a detached double garage in Edmonton? Yes. A detached garage needs a development permit and building permit, plus trade permits for electrical or gas. Only structures under 10 square metres with no utilities can skip permits, and no double garage is that small.

Does a double garage add value? In Edmonton, houses whose listings mention a double attached garage show a median asking price of $550,000 versus the citywide $537,365 (July 2026). That is a market association, not a renovation ROI number: the garage usually comes with a newer, larger home. Compare sold prices for homes like yours with and without one.

Ready to compare layouts in person? Search Edmonton homes or start with the full garage types guide.

MLS figures are live Edmonton data as of July 2026. Permit and setback rules are from the City of Edmonton; sizes reflect common builder convention, not a code requirement.